Friday, October 24, 2014

The gift of suffering

Through suffering, we release our hold on the toys of this world, and know our true good lies in another world.

We’re like blocks of stone, out of which the sculptor carves the forms of men.

The blows of his chisel, which hurt us so much, are what make us perfect.

The suffering in this world is not the failure of God’s love for us;it is that love in action.

For believe me, this world that seems to us so substantial is no more than the shadlowlands.

Real life has not begun yet.” (“Shadowlands,” p. 1)

I once asked a priest what my life would have been like if I had not
suffered, if I had married a well-off dentist, had 1.25 kids and lived
in an efficient, modern house. He put on a phony, pious face, put his
hands together in prayer, and said in a high, mocking voice, ”Oh, you
would be a nice Christian lady, praising the Lord.”